Karate

A new karate gym opened near our house and advertised two free trial classes and a free uniform to children who were willing to try it out.  Little did I know that we would in fact have FIVE free trial classes and a little boy who just loves karate and begged to sign up.

I was already looking for an activity in which to enroll Palmer and in the process of previewing various gymnastics gyms when we came across the new karate place.

I don't know much about karate and was clueless as we went to our first trial session.  What I am learning is that karate is very focused on self-control and discipline.  Some might say that I run a tight ship around this house, so I am loving the strictness of this extracurricular activity.

The free trials are not just for the family to try out karate, but also for the karate studio to make sure that the child is a good fit where he is placed.  Because the emphasis is on self-control and listening to commands/rules, it is important that the child isn't disruptive to the flow of the rest of the class.

After two private trials and three group trials (one of which was in a class that was too old for three-year-olds), Palmer was finally "allowed" to sign up.  (I mean, this place is genius.  By the fifth class, we were practically begging them to accept our son and take our money.  Great business strategy!)

Nevertheless, Palmer adores karate.  He loves the kicking and punching and games as any crazy three-year-old would.  We love that he has to focus in an active environment and think the controlled structure is ideal for a kid like Palmer.

We are so proud that Palmer already earned his white belt for saying the "7 magic words: please, thank you, yes sir, no sir, yes ma'am, no ma'am, and you're welcome".

He also was very proud to earn a blue stripe on his white belt last week for being a good listener in class!

-Bethany